Ride Alongs

Contact Us

EMERGENCY: DIAL 9-1-12401 Crow Canyon Rd

San Ramon

CA

Phone(925) 973-2700

Fax(925) 838-2925

Ride Along

"Ride-Along" means to be an official passenger in a patrol vehicle, accompanying a police officer during part of a normal tour of duty. The primary purpose of a police Ride-Along is to provide an opportunity for the community to see firsthand the day-to-day workings of law enforcement in San Ramon. The Ride-Along guest gains insight into what it means to be a police officer. The Ride-Along program fosters a better understanding of the challenges, hazards and rewards of the police officer's role in the community and promotes a partnership between the community and law enforcement.

Other Ride-Along Goals

to provide an opportunity for San Ramon residents to get to know their police officers

to provide citizens interested in a career in law enforcement an opportunity to examine the job

to educate the community about the responsibilities of police officers

to educate the community about what to expect and why, if they need to call for police assistance

General Procedures

Ride-Along requests must be submitted a minimum of two weeks prior to the requested Ride-Along date.

No one shall ride until approval has been granted and a properly completed waiver has been signed.

No observer will accompany the officer while transporting or booking prisoners.

At no time shall an officer, while accompanied by an observer, engage in pursuit driving, respond to a violent crime in progress, or perform a felony traffic stop, unless they deposit the observer at a safe location.

A background check shall be conducted of the potential Ride-Along candidate.

Ride-Along participants are only permitted to ride between 10:00 am and 10:00 pm.

How do you sign up for a Ride-Along?

You must complete and sign an application form and return it to the San Ramon Police Department. As an applicant for San Ramon's Ride-Along program, you must authorize the Police Department to conduct a background investigation to determine your eligibility. All information is confidential as required by California and Federal statutes.

The following are requirements for being considered for San Ramon's Ride-Along Program:

You must be either a San Ramon resident or work in San Ramon;

Residents 16 years of age and older may participate in the Ride Along program;

The applicant must not have participated in a Ride-Along for the past 90 days;

No Ride-Along participant will be allowed to ride while carrying a firearm, unless the participant is currently a certified active police officer with another jurisdiction in the State of California.

The Ride-Along participant must agree to abide by the following rules of conduct:

All candidates must read and sign a Ride Along waiver; minors must have the waiver signed form by a parent or guardian.

Observers shall, at all times, remain under the complete control of the assigned officer and comply with all directions.

Observers shall not interfere with investigations in any way by conversing with victims, suspects, or witnesses; observers must not become physically or verbally involved in any incident.

The observer must be of good character, not likely to endanger the safety of the public or the officer.

The participants attire must be neat, clean and conservative. The observer shall not wear any type of clothing, jacket, or baseball cap with a logo that might suggest the he or she was a police officer.

No alcoholic beverages on breath or consumption of same while participating in the Ride-Along program.

All cameras and recording devices are prohibited.

The observer shall be in good health. No persons with severe colds or illnesses will be permitted to Ride-Along.

Observers must remain in the patrol car at all times unless told to do otherwise by the host officer.

Observers must wear a seat belt when the vehicle is in motion.

In the event of a serious situation, the officer will ask you to wait in a secure and safe place.

Any information overheard regarding a criminal investigation is confidential in nature and the observer shall not discuss that information with anyone.

To receive an application or for further information, contact the San Ramon Police Department at (925) 973-2700